Envious
by Kawaii-Omake
Summary: Hints of LucyxNatsu. Taken place after the Tower of Paradise Arc. Lucy feels disheartened as she watched Natsu and Erza grow closer. But why?


Envious  
A Fairy Tail Fanfiction  
Characters owned by Hiro Mashima  
Based after the Tower of Paradise Arc

"Damnit, I can't concentrate…"

Lucy Heartfilia frowned as she squinted, trying to focus on her book, as she tried to ignore the ruckus that was happening in the background. Gray and Natsu were at it again, fighting for absolutely no reason, as fire and ice were being thrown around. The area around her was wet and she hoped that no water would splash on her book. But since Gray and Natsu was the infamous idiot duo, she knew that anything could happen, and it didn't help that the other guild members were cheering them on. Jeeze, didn't they better things to do than fight? It was becoming more and more annoying everyday to be around them.

"What the hell is going on?"

At the sound of Erza's voice, both Gray and Natsu immediately stopped what they were doing and nervously turned to the scarlett warrior. She had just came back from doing a job, her ruby eyes narrowing as she looked at the two before grabbing them by their necks. In response, the two choked as they tried to escape her grip. Lucy, her nose still buried in her book, watched carefully as Erza's eyes looked at Natsu, then Gray, and back at Natsu.

"I see you guys have been behaving while I was away…" Erza said, almost dangerously, squeezing their necks more. Natsu gasped for air and nodded, desperate for air as he set his hand aflame. "D-Damnit! …. Erza!"

The warrior had finally let them go, and the two gasped for air, trying to control their breathing. The flames dissipated from Natsu's hand and he immediately grabbed onto Gray, the ice mage doing the same as they grinned at their childhood friend. Their grins were ever too cheery, but they continued to pull on this act as they laughed. "Of course we have been getting along!" Gray exclaimed, as he patted Natsu on the back.

"We were just sparring, as usual!"  
"Y-Yeah! What Gray said!"

Satisfied by their answer, Erza smirked and turned towards Lucy, finally acknowledging her as she waved a hello. Lucy, surprised that Erza turned her way, felt her cheeks turned pink as she waved back. "I trust that you are doing well, Lucy?" The girl asked, having not seen the Stellar Mage for three days. Lucy could only meekly nod, still feeling embarrassed that she was caught staring and gave Erza a thumbs up. "Y-Yup! Why wouldn't I be?"

Something was wrong. Even though Lucy tried to hide it, Erza could feel that Lucy was acting very strange around her. Ever since they came back to the newly built guild, Lucy was acting very meek and shy around the warrior and not the usual energetic girl that Erza was used to. She was about to walk over to Lucy but was interrupted as Natsu eagerly jumped in front of her, eyes brightening as he gave Erza his signature grin. "So how was your mission? How many asses did you kick this time?"

Erza chuckled, running her hands through her red locks as she looked at both Gray and Natsu. She then began to tell her story, about how she had to fight a guild of thieves who thought it was clever to go to a town and take a few hostages. While Erza told her story, she didn't notice Lucy, still in the background, give a sad look towards the three of them and sigh.

"Neh, Lucy, what's wrong?" The kind-hearted Mirajane asked, placing her hand on Lucy's shoulder as she tilted her head to the side. "You seem sad all of a sudden. Shouldn't you be with your team?"

"Hmm?" Lucy turned to Mirajane, laughing nervously as she rubbed the back of her neck. She placed her book down, her eyes never leaving the counter before finally raising her head, and giving Mirajane a small smile. The white-haired beauty was always the first to ask what was wrong. It was like she had a sixth sense, a _Lucy_ sense, for she never hesitated to help the blonde girl when she needed it.

"Nothing's wrong." Lucy lied, looking around the guild, as if avoiding eye contact. Happy was eating his fish, Cana was romancing with her new "boyfriend", Levy was chatting with Jet and Droy. It seemed everyone was in high spirits. So why wasn't she?

"I know when you're lying." Mirajane stated, hands on her hips as she quirked her eyebrow. Did Lucy think she was stupid? She wasn't going to take Lucy's excuse for an answer. "Now tell me what's really wrong."

Lucy bit the bottom of her lip, turning to look at the trio and noticed that Natsu was grinning at Erza. The same toothy grin that he always gave her whenever she would say something that made him laugh. She felt an uncomfortable squeeze in her chest as she closed her eyes, wishing the image would go away as she faced her direction back at Mirajane.

It just wasn't fair. Ever since they came back from the resort, it seemed as though Natsu was paying more attention to Erza. Even though he still felt intimidated when Erza would catch him pick fights with Gray, Lucy began to notice that he was starting to become friendlier with the S class mage. Gray was too, but he was treating Erza the same as Lucy. But with Natsu… it was different. It seemed that as time passed, he begun to talk to Erza more and forget about Lucy. Lucy's corner was beginning to become more evident as the days passed by, and she felt herself sitting in this particular spot more and more.

Before she could open her mouth, Mirajane shushed her, placing a finger on her lips as she gave her a kind smile. Lucy didn't even have to say anything and Mirajane knew what was wrong. She swore not only did this girl have a Lucy sense, but she was telepathic too. "W-What?" Lucy mumbled, feigning innocence as she lightly pushed Mirajane's finger away from her lips.

Mirajane sighed, knowing clearly well what was wrong as she turned to look at Natsu, and then back at Lucy. "You were staring at Natsu again were you?" Before Lucy could speak, she shushed the blonde again and continued. "Please don't lie to me, because I noticed that ever since Erza came back, you keep looking at him at the corner of your eye. Do your thoughts have something to do with him?"

Lucy's cheeks turned red, her face suddenly becoming hot as she fingered the edge of her short, blue skirt. "N-No! Of course not! W-Why would I be bothered by an idiot like him?" Seeing Mirajane raise an eyebrow again, Lucy sighed, placing her head between her arms and she slowly nodded yes. Damn, she just couldn't lie to her. "He's just been paying more attention to Erza now…"

Mirajane blinked, not expecting Lucy to say that as she chuckled. Almost everyone in the guild knew how close Gray, Natsu and Erza were. After all, they were childhood friends and did almost everything together, including shower times. "Oh Lucy, he was always like that. You shouldn't be worried." Even though Lucy knew that Mirajane was trying to comfort the girl, she could still feel her insides being gnawed at as she shook her head. "No! It seems that after Erza almost died from the Aetherion, he's been giving her extra attention. I-I mean, I'm glad that Erza is still alive b-but… Oh, I wonder if I'm just being selfish…"

Lucy buried her head deeper into her arms, as if trying to hide and felt Mirajane lightly stroke her head. Mirajane really was like a mother figure to her, even though she was only older by a few years. "We're all glad that Ezra is still alive. After all, she is nakama. And you really don't need to worry, I'm sure Natsu cares about you too."

_Nakama._ The word rung in Lucy's ears as she peeked out of her "shelter", watching as Erza whacked Natsu on the head. He was probably doing something stupid again. 'Nakama,' Lucy thought, remembering all the times that Natsu saved her. In fact, she remembered the time when the Phantom Guild attacked, and how nobody blamed her for being the cause of the war, even though she apologized infinite times. During that time, she felt so special to Natsu, especially when he saved her from her jump off the tower and when he tried to cheer her up when she was crying. But…

The image of Natsu carrying Erza bridal style was burned into her mind, and she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to erase it. At that moment, she felt her world spin as she saw the way Natsu looked at Erza. His eyed held so much concern as he was crying, begging her never to risk her life again. She remembered how it was getting difficult to breathe as she watched Erza stroke Natsu's cheek gently, whispering something in his ear. Why? Why did she feel this way? Erza was her nakama, she was everyone's nakama! Even though she was so happy to see Natsu and Erza, she couldn't control how she was feeling when she saw Erza and Natsu… _together._

"Lucy? Lucy?"

She tried to bite back tears as she felt a sweet, melodic sound call to her and Lucy lifted her head, staring at an even more concerned Mirajane as she slid Lucy a glass of water. "Are… Are you sure you don't want to go home for today? There aren't many jobs available right now and I don't like seeing you like this. You should go have a nice, warm bath and just forget about your problems."

'I wish it could be that easy,' Lucy thought, gulping the water down as she placed the glass harshly onto the counter. "Thanks for the water Mirajane. And I think you're right. I need to get out of this guild; the noise pollution is not helping me concentrate on my book. I'll see you tomorrow okay?" Smiling, she stood up, fixing her skirt as she grabbed the half read book. Looking at the trio one last time, she sighed as she begun to walk away, feeling a hot tear roll down her cheeks as she tried not to choke. Damnit, why was she crying? Not here… not here…

Walking at an even faster pace, she didn't notice the Scarlett warrior turn to look at Lucy's direction, eyes narrowing in concern before smashing Natsu and Gray's heads together again. She was definitely going to need to have a talk with her.

**.a.a.a.a.a.**

A few hours later, Lucy sighed happily as she fumbled to get her house keys, several shopping bags in one hand as she stuck the key into the key hole. There was nothing like retail therapy to calm a girl down. When she got home, she was going to treat herself to a warm bath and try working on her novel. Maybe even munch on some delicious chocolate chip cookies she had bought from the market awhile back. Entering her house, she heard the sound of what appeared to be a drawer opening and closing, and rolled her eyes. She only knew one person who visited her house, and she was not in the mood to keep him company.

"Natsu! What did I tell you about entering my house when I'm not home? It's trespassing!" Listening to the sound, she realized it was coming into her room and quickly barged in. Throwing her shopping bags onto the bed, she turned around, expecting to see an annoying salmon-haired boy but was shocked to see red instead. Erza was currently looking through her underwear drawer, blushing as she took out a lacy red thong, picking it up with one finger as she slowly turned to Lucy. "L-Lucy! Y-You wear such u-underwear?"

"Aah!" Lucy quickly grabbed the thong, shoved it back into the drawer and slammed the drawer shut, her face as red as Erza's hair as she quickly pointed to the bed, demanding Erza to sit. The older girl stared at Lucy, before nodding her head and slowly sat on her bed. The bed sank at Erza's weight, and it didn't make things better that Erza was wearing such heavy armor. Lucy sighed, somehow feeling irritated that the source of her problems was now present. Couldn't she just have a break and be left alone? "Erza… what are you doing here?"

The said girl cleared her throat, mustering up courage as she said, "I… I noticed that something is wrong, and it's bothering me. You're acting very different all of a sudden, and I want to know if I did something to offend you." She said this very politely, as it was in her nature and her eyes showed concern for her nakama. Lucy was one of her closest friends, and if she did something to make Lucy mad at her then… "You can punch me if you like."

Stunned at Erza's words, Lucy laughed weakly, shaking her head as she sat beside the girl. She found it extremely cute that Erza took the time to barge into her house (even though she was trespassing), despite the fact that she must have been tired from her job. She bit the bottom of her lip, unsure what to say as she placed her hand on the redhead's shoulder, before letting it drop down. "N… Nothing's wrong Erza. I just had a lot of things on my mind. That's all."

"Does it have something to do with Natsu?"

"E-Eh?" Did Erza have a Lucy sense too? Cheeks reddening at the sound of his name, she laughed, almost hysterically, as she rubbed the back of her neck. "W-What? What on earth gave you that idea?" Lucy exclaimed, trying to cover up her surprise as she patted the warrior on the back, though only came in contact with her armor. "I would never think about that idiot."

Erza only stared at Lucy, amused at the girl for trying to cover up her feelings, and began to look at her surroundings. She never realized that Lucy's room was so… small. Well it was to be expected, as she lived in a spacious five room dorm all to herself. Deciding that it was unnecessary to comment on Lucy's living conditions, she gave Lucy a look that said, "I'm-not-buying-your-crap." "I hope you are not thinking I am stupid or something, because I am well aware of how much you like the Dragon Slayer. It's as clear as day."

Could her cheeks get any hotter? Lucy laughed nervously, cursing in her mind as she looked away. She actually did hope that Erza would buy her act and just go home. She felt like this day would never end. "Y-You don't say?..."

Erza nodded, speaking matter-of-factly, "I can assure you, nothing is going on with me and Natsu. We are simply just childhood friends. He is my nakama. Nothing more." Lucy didn't say anything, unable to believe Erza's words as she rubbed her arms. "Well… okay. Hey, I'm really tired and I just want to go to sleep so if you don't mind…"

"LUCY!"

Lucy felt herself freeze, not liking Erza's tone of voice and looked at the ground. She felt like a child who was being scolded by her mother. Erza was narrowing her eyes, this time in frustration as she stood up, the bed slowly starting to rise from losing an excessive amount of weight as she stood in front of the blonde. "I can _assure_ you, nothing is happening between me and Natsu."

Suddenly feeling defensive, Lucy stood up, hands balling into a fist as she stood face to face with the warrior. She couldn't take it anymore. "Stop… stop lying! I see the way you guys act together! It's as if after he saved you, things changed between you two!" She couldn't stop the flow of words that were coming out of her mouth. It was like she was the raging sea, with waves crashing and nothing could stop her. "He laughs with you more! He's happier! He cares more for you! He's… He's… !"

Lucy gasped as she felt Erza slap her on the cheek. Her face stung as she placed her hand on the struck area. Looking at Erza in disbelief, she tried to fight tears as they unwillingly rolled down her cheeks. She suddenly felt ashamed, crying in front of Erza, when she tried so hard to be strong and keep her emotions control. Has she lost her mind? "I… I don't know what's wrong with me…"

Erza then pulled Lucy into a crushing hug, feeling the girl wrap her arms around the warrior as Erza quickly ex-quipped into a normal pair of clothes, making sure that Lucy did not feel uncomfortable. "Lucy… Lucy…" she murmured, stroking the girl's head as she felt her right shoulder dampen. "I understand… I understand." Waiting for the girl to calm down, Erza continued to stroke her head or pat her back; anything to make the girl stop crying. When Lucy did stop crying, she slowly pulled the girl back, wiping away the girl's tears and gave her a kind smile.

"You don't need to feel sad. Natsu cares about you. I know he does. He may be an oblivious idiot, but he does care for you. After all, who was the first one to reach you when we all thought you ran away from Fairy Tail? Who was the one who decided to bring you into the team? He was so stubborn too… he said that Fairytail's strongest team wouldn't be complete without Lucy by our side."

Lucy couldn't help but laugh, wiping away her tears as she smiled. "I-I'm sorry Erza… you're my nakama. I shouldn't blame my problems on you. I… I'm glad you didn't die when we were at the resort. I wouldn't know what to do without you around. I'm sorry…" Hugging the girl, she squeezed her tightly as she buried her face into her friend's hair. Erza naturally hugged the girl back, patting the girl one last time before finally pulling away. "You don't need to apologize. I am simply just caring for a friend."

Giggling quietly, Lucy rubbed her tear stained face as she walked Erza to the door, waving goodbye to Erza until the redhead was out of sight. Closing the door, a small sigh escaped her lips as she walked to the washroom, turning on the tap and waiting for the hot water to fill her tub. Erza Scarlett really was amazing. She was strong, gained the respect of many others, and was always there for her nakama. Natsu had told Lucy herself that the reason why Erza was going to give herself to the Aetherion was to save all her friends. She felt shame wash over her, for being jealous and accusing one of her best friends for ruining her relationship with Natsu. Even though she cared for him deeply, she would have killed herself if she lost her friendship with Erza because of him.

After her shower, she slipped into bed, hiding under the covers as thoughts of Erza continued to fill her mind. The girl was beautiful with her unique scarlett colored hair and curvaceous body. She was known as the strongest female mage of Fairy Tail, and had many men cowering at her power. When people looked at Lucy, all they saw a cute girl who looked like she wanted a good time. At this thought, Lucy frowned, and quickly erased all negative thoughts from her mind. No… she was better than that. She had also contributed to Fairy Tail's strongest team, one way or another. Surely she had a purpose.

Even though she was guilty of feeling negative thoughts towards Erza, she knew that Erza was not perfect; she had many scars in her heart that were slowly healing. She had many people who thought of her as important, and it made Lucy wonder just how much people thought she was important too. 'Maybe one day I'll be important to him too… just as how much Erza is important to him too.'

There was only one word that could describe Lucy right now, and that was envious.

Author's Notes: Yay, first Fairy Tail fanfiction! It's longer than I expected... I don't know if I portrayed the characters right because I haven't written fanfiction in so long. Aaah -spazz spazz-

Review?


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